Policy Text
Policy Delano Police Department
1024 Delano PD Policy Manual
Nepotism and Conflicting Relationships
1024.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure equal opportunity and effective employment practices by
avoiding actual or perceived favoritism, discrimination or actual or potential conflicts of interest by
or between members of this department. These employment practices include: recruiting, testing,
hiring, compensation, assignment, use of facilities, access to training opportunities, supervision,
performance appraisal, discipline and workplace safety and security.
1024.1.1 DEFINITIONS
Business relationship - Serving as an employee, independent contractor, compensated
consultant, owner, board member, shareholder, or investor in an outside business, company,
partnership, corporation, venture or other transaction, where the Department employee’s annual
interest, compensation, investment or obligation is greater than $250.
Conflict of interest - Any actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest in which it reasonably
appears that a department employee’s action, inaction or decisions are or may be influenced by
the employee’s personal or business relationship.
Nepotism - The practice of showing favoritism to relatives over others in appointment,
employment, promotion or advancement by any public official in a position to influence these
personnel decisions.
Personal relationship - Includes marriage, cohabitation, dating or any other intimate relationship
beyond mere friendship.
Public official - A supervisor, officer or employee vested with authority by law, rule or regulation
or to whom authority has been delegated.
Relative - An employee’s parent, stepparent, spouse, domestic partner, significant other, child
(natural, adopted or step), sibling or grandparent.
Subordinate - An employee who is subject to the temporary or ongoing direct or indirect authority
of a supervisor.
Supervisor - An employee who has temporary or ongoing direct or indirect authority over the
actions, decisions, evaluation and/or performance of a subordinate employee.
1024.2 RESTRICTED DUTIES AND ASSIGNMENTS
The Department will not prohibit all personal or business relationships between employees.
However, in order to avoid nepotism or other inappropriate conflicts, the following reasonable
restrictions shall apply (Government Code § 12940):
(a) Employees are prohibited from directly supervising, occupying a position in the line of
supervision or being directly supervised by any other employee who is a relative or
with whom they are involved in a personal or business relationship.
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/12/06, All Rights Reserved. Nepotism and Conflicting Relationships - 1
Published with permission by Delano Police Department